to hers. Living in opposite boroughs didn’t make life easy, that was for damn sure. If she didn’t have a shift, she’d come home with me. If I didn’t have to be up in the morning, I’d meet her when she got out of work.
I had a feeling there were many such nights coming up.
“This morning went okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Surly’s kicking my ass.” Surly’s on my side again .
She smiled. “He told me he’d keep an eye on you.” I nodded. “I guess I won’t be seeing much of you now that you can practice again. Not until after your fight.”
“We’ll squeeze in some time,” I said. I dropped my head, looked at my feet. “My brother wants me to spend Christmas at our father’s place.”
She sniffed. Her nose was running. Why weren’t we having this conversation indoors somewhere? “Do you think you’ll go?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“They must have invited you for a reason.”
I grimaced. “I figured you’d think I should go.”
“So go,” she said, “And call me when your visit’s over. Or call me in the middle of it, I’ll have my phone. Just call me.”
I nodded. I hated to admit that I might need her but it felt good knowing she’d be there. “Same goes for you,” I said. “If it gets to be too much. Just call me.”
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 8
Christmas snuck up on me. After confirming that I’d make an appearance at Dad’s place, I threw myself into practice like a madman, pausing only for random night jobs and, on a couple occasions, for Riley.
I saw a lot less of her than I liked. She was working a lot as well. When she wasn’t working, she was forlornly picking away at chords on her guitar.
At least she’d dusted it off and picked it up. I tried to be encouraging without being pushy, which was tough for me, pushy bastard that I was.
“If I never play again then Jen wins,” she said one evening. It was one of the rare nights where our schedule lined up. We’d already fucked both before and after ordering take-out Chinese and were finally feeling sated. At least for the moment.
“Don’t worry about Jen,” I said, “Who cares what she thinks.” I sat naked on the edge of her bed and strummed the only two chords I knew.
She sat up, wrapped in her sheets. The girl’s room was still bare as shit, though she’d picked up a dresser at some point since the last time I’d been there. Minimal furniture, apparently no attachment to the room or to the apartment itself… It would be so easy to move her in with me.
“I know I shouldn’t care,” she said, “I just felt so shitty after… after everything.”
I glanced at her over my shoulder. Her hair was in disarray, her lips still swollen. She was gorgeous. “I thought we weren’t dwelling on the past.”
“I’m not,” she said, her voice small.
I snapped my fingers. “I’ve got it.”
“Got what?”
“We’re doing Second Christmas. Just like we did with Thanksgiving.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. “We are?”
“Yeah. Before my fight. I’m supposed to eat a lot leading up to it, anyway. And invite your sister.” I strummed my two chords. “And you can play us Christmas carols.”
She laughed. “I can, can I?”
“Yeah. No pressure to write new songs or learn more lame-ass pop music. Just play what you guys already know.”
When I looked back at her, her eyes were glistening. Oh, fuck . “Don’t,” I warned. But she was already rising to her knees. She crawled across the bed and wrapped her arms around me, sniffling, eyes leaking. Jesus . I hugged her back and hid my grimace.
“You’re the best, you know that?” she said with one last sniffle, finally letting me go.
“Yeah, well. Cut that out.” I cleared my throat and gestured at her face.
She laughed at me. “They were happy tears, you brute.” She wiped them from her cheeks with one
I had a feeling there were many such nights coming up.
“This morning went okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Surly’s kicking my ass.” Surly’s on my side again .
She smiled. “He told me he’d keep an eye on you.” I nodded. “I guess I won’t be seeing much of you now that you can practice again. Not until after your fight.”
“We’ll squeeze in some time,” I said. I dropped my head, looked at my feet. “My brother wants me to spend Christmas at our father’s place.”
She sniffed. Her nose was running. Why weren’t we having this conversation indoors somewhere? “Do you think you’ll go?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“They must have invited you for a reason.”
I grimaced. “I figured you’d think I should go.”
“So go,” she said, “And call me when your visit’s over. Or call me in the middle of it, I’ll have my phone. Just call me.”
I nodded. I hated to admit that I might need her but it felt good knowing she’d be there. “Same goes for you,” I said. “If it gets to be too much. Just call me.”
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 8
Christmas snuck up on me. After confirming that I’d make an appearance at Dad’s place, I threw myself into practice like a madman, pausing only for random night jobs and, on a couple occasions, for Riley.
I saw a lot less of her than I liked. She was working a lot as well. When she wasn’t working, she was forlornly picking away at chords on her guitar.
At least she’d dusted it off and picked it up. I tried to be encouraging without being pushy, which was tough for me, pushy bastard that I was.
“If I never play again then Jen wins,” she said one evening. It was one of the rare nights where our schedule lined up. We’d already fucked both before and after ordering take-out Chinese and were finally feeling sated. At least for the moment.
“Don’t worry about Jen,” I said, “Who cares what she thinks.” I sat naked on the edge of her bed and strummed the only two chords I knew.
She sat up, wrapped in her sheets. The girl’s room was still bare as shit, though she’d picked up a dresser at some point since the last time I’d been there. Minimal furniture, apparently no attachment to the room or to the apartment itself… It would be so easy to move her in with me.
“I know I shouldn’t care,” she said, “I just felt so shitty after… after everything.”
I glanced at her over my shoulder. Her hair was in disarray, her lips still swollen. She was gorgeous. “I thought we weren’t dwelling on the past.”
“I’m not,” she said, her voice small.
I snapped my fingers. “I’ve got it.”
“Got what?”
“We’re doing Second Christmas. Just like we did with Thanksgiving.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. “We are?”
“Yeah. Before my fight. I’m supposed to eat a lot leading up to it, anyway. And invite your sister.” I strummed my two chords. “And you can play us Christmas carols.”
She laughed. “I can, can I?”
“Yeah. No pressure to write new songs or learn more lame-ass pop music. Just play what you guys already know.”
When I looked back at her, her eyes were glistening. Oh, fuck . “Don’t,” I warned. But she was already rising to her knees. She crawled across the bed and wrapped her arms around me, sniffling, eyes leaking. Jesus . I hugged her back and hid my grimace.
“You’re the best, you know that?” she said with one last sniffle, finally letting me go.
“Yeah, well. Cut that out.” I cleared my throat and gestured at her face.
She laughed at me. “They were happy tears, you brute.” She wiped them from her cheeks with one
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